Apparatus for the manufacture of oyster liquor



Feb. 6, 1922. 1,44%94. A. BABENDREER.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF OYSTER LIQUOR.

ORIGINAL FILED DEC. 4 1920- 2 SHEETS-SHEET1.

\NVENTOR A- Elclbendreev Feb. .5, 1923. k l l fifigi. A. BABENDREER.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF OYSTER UQUOR.

ORIGINAL FILED DEC 4, 1920 Z SHEET SSHEET Z- iNV ENTOQ A. Ezcxban draev- ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. b, 1923..

entree PATENT ALBERT BABENDREER, OF BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI.

Application filed December 4, 1920, Serial No. 428,370. Renewed October 12, 1922.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT BABEIQ'DREER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Biloxi, in the countyof lflarrison and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Oyster Liquor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a retort for processing oysters in the shell in such manner to recover oyster liquor in accordance with the process forming the subject matter of my companion application, Serial No. 299,501, filed on the Qdth day of lrl'ay, 1919.

My invention contemplates the construction of a retort especially adapted to receive cars loaded with oysters, the shells of which have been previously cleansed in any suitable manner.

A further object is to form the car of a perforated drum adapted to interlock when in the retort with a suitable external drive for rotating it.

A further object is to provide the retort with steam and hot air supply pipes and with radiation piping to the end that its temperature and humidity can be accurately controlled.

A further object is to interpose the retort in a continuous air circulating system, the air being heated by a furnace in the circuit as by this means I can maintain the circulating body of air in a highly moist and heated condition to thereby cool; the oysters with a minimum evaporation of the oyster liquor and without materially diluting it with water of condensation.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiment only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the retort showing the driving mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view through the retort showing the car partly in end elevation and partly in vertical section with the furnace for heating the circulating air system formally illustrated.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through one end of the retort and drum, and

Fig. 4fis a similar view of the other end of the retort with the car and drum shown in part in elevation.

Serial No. 594,166.

Pig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4, showing the retort door carrying the driving connections shown in partly open position.

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail perspective and plan views of the clutch for rotating the drum in the retort.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

'lhe retort is formed by a metallic cat:- ing s, preferably an oblong rectangular steel hog supported below in cross timbers 2 at each end and supporting on its bottom the main track rails 3 which extend from end to end of the retort and are adapted to receive wheels 4 which are journaled on the axles 5 mounted in the end trunnion frames 5 which support between them a rotatable drum 6. This drum is cylindrical and formed of perforated metal sheets attached to flanged end castings 7* fast on the trun nion shaft 7, which turn in bearings 8 on the apex of the frames 5, one end of the shaft being projected beyond the bearing to receive a clutch element. The retort is closed at its end by hinged doors 9 and 10 which are adapted to be engaged by bolts 1]. hinged to the door frames 12 of the retort and carrying nuts 11 adapted to engage the door flanges and clamp them tightly in posi tion against ring packings 13 set in the door frames 12. The drum itself is provided with a longitudinal perforated door section 16 hinged at 17 and provided with suitable latches 18. The door 9 is provided with a round center boss 19 which abuts the inner end of the trunnion shaft 7 to stop the car in predetermined position in the retort. The outer door has journaled in its center a shaft 20 which passes centrally through the door and carries on its inner end a clutch member 21 adapted to co-act with the clutch member 21 on the trunnion shaft 7. At its outer end this shaft 20 carries a worm wheel 22 which meshes a worm 23 on a shaft 2 lwhich is journaled in the bearings 25 on the outer face of the door 10, the shaft being ield in position by collars and carrying at its end towards the hinged side of the door a bevelled gear 27 adapted to mesh with bevelled gear 28 on the main drive shaft 29 which is journaled in bearings 30 on the adjacent side wall of the retort.

Between the tracks 3 I lay track bars 31 which form an intermediate low track for supporting wheels 32 of a car carrying a pan which is co-extensive in width. and length with the rotating drum 6 and is intended to be disposed thereunder during the processing of the oysters so as to catch all juices discharged therefrom. The pan is provided with a drain spout 3% by which its contents can drip into the funnel 3:") and thence be conducted through a trap 36 without the retort and discharged under control of a valve 37.

Along the sides of the retort are arranged a series of heat radiating pipes 38 heated by any suitable medium and overhead is a series of longitudinal pipes 39 having a supply pipe 40 leading downwardly through the top of the retort, and each of these pipes 38 is provided with bottom apertures for the delivery of downward jets of steam onto the top of the drum for the whole length thereof. A hot air pipe 41 enters the upper portion of the retort and discharges heated I air thereinto which is drawn out by means of perforated pipes 42 extending lengthwise along the bottom of the retort on each side below the pan 33 and which lead outwardly through the bottom of the retort. where the two pipes connect with a return pipe 48 which leads through a heating furnace 4st and connects to the hot air inlet pipe 41, thus forming a closed hot air circulation for the retort.

In operation, the retort door 10 of the car is opened and the drum is filled with oysters in their shells which have been previously washed so as to remove all extraneous foreign matter which might pollute or injuriously affect the flavor of the oyster liquor. The car is then run into the retort and so placed that its clutch element 21 will interlock with the door clutch element 21 when the retort door 10 is closed and sealed, the wing nuts being screwed down tightly so that the retort is in effect steam tight. Power is then applied to shaft 29 and by means of the meshing gears 27 and 28 the shaft 24 is driven through the worm gear22 the clutch shaft. 20 is driven and the drum is rotated slowly, and continuously on its trunnion shaft 7. The hot air circulation is then started, a suitable valve 45 being provided therein to control it and the proper temperature is maintained in the retort by means of the radiation pipes 38 at the proper time live steam. may be admitted through the pipes 39 to further control both humidity and temperature in the retort. By the agencies described and the heating of the circulating body of air by means of the furnace 44E, the cooking of the oysters is carried on, processing them to open their shells and as theliquor flows out of the shells it escapes from thedrum and is collected in thepan 33 and thenceis conducted through the. pipe 36.

The rotation of the drum serves two purposes, namely, to subject the oysters therein to an even temperature and to more effectively empty all the shells of their liquor contents. The closed circulation for the air is not essential but is preferable as this causes the circulating body of air to become and remain moist and thus to have a less tendency to desiccate the oysters or to evaporate the liquor. It further requires a less use of live steam from pipes 39 and thus preserves the liquor in more condensed form and substantially free of dilution by condensation of the live steam. The pan car is so constructed that it can be readily removed from the retort for cleaning.

This invention is not intended. to be re stricted in scope to the specific embodiment-s shown, but contemplates such modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1 In a retort for the extraction of oyster liquor, a steam tight chamber having an end door, an oyster-containing car movable into the retort through said door and having a foraminous bottom, a pan in the bottom of the retort to catch the liquid as it drops from the car, and means to heat the retort.

2. In an apparatus for the extraction of oyster liquor, a' retort having an end door and heating means, a car movable into the retort and comprising a rotatable foraminous crum adapted to contain oysters, and a pan underlying the drum in the retort to catch the oyster liquor.

An apparatus as described in claim 2, in which the pan also is mounted on roller supports and is removable from the retort independently of the drum.

1. An apparatus for the extraction of oyster liquor comprising a retort having an end door and heating means, two tracks in the retort, a car carrying a rotating foraminous drum acapted to contain the oysters and movable on one of the tracks, and a car carrying a pan adapted to underlie the. drum and movaole on the other tracks.

5. In an apparatus for the collection of oyster liquor, a retort having a door and heating means, a foraminous container for oysters therein, a removable pan underlying the oyster container and having a discharge retort for said Wheel supports, and means to collect the oyster liquor dripping from said drum.

7. An apparatus for the production of oyster liquor comprising a retort having a door, a foraminous removable container for the oysters to be treated, means for collecting the oyster liquor dripping from said container, means to heat the retort by radiation, and means to regulate the humidity within the retort by the introduction of live steam.

8. An apparatus for the production of oyster liquor comprising a retort having a door, a container "for the oysters to be treated, means for collecting the oyster liquor dripping from said. container, and means to heat the retort by radiation and by a circulation of externally heated air.

An apparatus for the production of oyster liquor comprising a retort, heating coils for the retort, an oyster container within the retort, means to catch the oyster liquor dripping from said container, and closed aiping means to pass a continuous circulation of air through said retort.

10. An apparatus for the production of oyster liquor comprising a retort, heating coils for the retort, an oyster container within the retort, means to catch the oyster liquor dripping from said container, and means to pass a cir ulation of air through said retort, said air circulating means comprising a closed circuit entering the top and bottom of the retort. and means without the retort to heat the air in each cycle.

11. In an apparatus for the production of oyster liquor, a retort, a container within the retort for the oysters to be treated, means to collect the liquor dripping from said container, steam coils to heat the retort, steam pipes adapted to admit live steam to the retort, and a piping system for the continuous circulation of air through the retort, said system comprising an air heater outside of the retort.

12. In an apparatus for the product-ion of oyster liquor, a retort having heating means and a door, a removable rotatable container for the oysters to be treated, and driving means for rotating the container comprising a power driven clutch member carried by the retort, and a co-acting clutch member mounted on the drum.

13. In an apparatus of the character described in claim 12, in \viich the container mounted on wheels for removal through said door, and the power driven clutch member is mounted. on said door and movable therewith into engagement with the clutch element on the container.

1%. In an apparatus in accordance with claim 13, in which the power driven mechanism for the clutch element on the retort door comprises a driving shaft having a bevelled gear, and a driven shaft mounted on the door and movable therewith and having a bevelled gear which is disposed and adapted to move into engagement with the first mentioned gear as the door is closed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

ALBERT BABENDREER.

lVitness A. H. AMANT. 

